In a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material which we view directly, for example a color print paper, usually a combination of a yellow, a magenta coupler and a cyan coupler is used. For these couplers it is required basic characteristics such as color reproduction of the dye image, color developability and durability. Recently in particular further improvement for color reproduction is requested for the reproduction of the original color with fidelity.
As for the cyan color image forming couplers, phenols or naphthols have mostly been used so far.
However, the cyan images obtained from the phenols and naphthols having been used so far have had serious problems on color reproduction. The problems have included that an absorption has not beer well-defined on the short-wavelength side and that an unnecessary absorption, i.e., an asymmetric absorption, has also been produced in the green spectral region. Due to the problems, the asymmetric absorption has to be corrected by means of a masking in the case of a color negative film and there has not been any asymmetric absorption correcting means in the case of a color negative paper. Therefore, the color reproduction was considerably deteriorated.
For the purpose of improving the color reproduction, JP OPI Publication Nos. 63-250649, 63-250650, 64-554/1989 and so forth have proposed the cyan couplers of the pyrazoloazole type. However, these couplers have introduced an electron-withdrawing group and a hydrogen-bonding group thereinto for satisfying the absorption wavelength of the color dyes to be formed. Therefore, not only the couplers have not been on the level fully satisfying the coupling activity, though a good color reproducibility has been displayed, but also they have not satisfied both color developability and color reproducibility at the same time. These couplers are required to prepare with low cost.
For the purpose of improving the durability of image and preservability of the dispersion of the couplers, JP OPI Publication No. 1-224761 discloses a combination of a specific cyan coupler of the pyrazoloazole type and a phenol coupler. However the combination of the couplers are requested for an improvement of color developability.